Swimming & Diving

Swimming & Diving Ties Western Connecticut Friday, 136-136

Nov 18, 2016

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The University of Saint Joseph swimming & diving team battled to a 136-136 tie against the Western Connecticut Colonials in dual meet action inside Bruyette Natatorium on Friday night. The Blue Jays posted five individual victories and one relay victory in their second home meet of the season. Overall, USJ is now 1-0-1 in dual meets on the year while Western moves to 0-2-1.

Saint Joseph opened the meet strong as its 200 yard medley relay team of sophomores Veronika Latawiec (Newington, CT), Annmarie Masayda (Watertown, CT) and Gabriella Alberino (East Haven, CT) and freshman Taylor Houghtaling (East Hartford, CT) edged out Western Connecticut and touched the wall first with a time of 2:05.21 in the opening event.

Latawiec continued her strong start to the season and went on to post a pair of victories in two of the following three events. In the 1,000 free, the sophomore cruised to victory finishing in 12:41.16, which was nearly a full minute faster than the second place swimmer. She followed that up with a gold medal finish in the 50 back with a time of 30.77.

Masayda would record the next two first place finishes for the Blue Jays. She posted a victory in the 50 breaststroke with a winning time of 35.86 before touching the wall in 2:48.84 in the 200 breaststroke to claim her second gold of the meet.

The final individual victory came from Latawiec in the 200 IM. Latawiec swam to a time of 2:28.66 to record the result.

Alberino also had a nice meet for the Blue Jays against the Colonials. In addition to the victory as a member of the 200 medley relay team, the East Haven product captured second place finishes in the 200 free (2:14.14), 100 free (1:01.67) and as a member of the 200 free relay team (2:07.08).

Senior captain Luz Holmes (East Hartford, CT) saw her first action of the season from the 1-meter diving board. The veteran scored 133.80 points across six dives for the Blue Jays.

The USJ swimming and diving team takes two weeks away from competition in preparation for its next meet, the 2016 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championships, on Saturday and Sunday Dec. 3-4. The championship meet will be hosted by Simmons College at the Holmes Sports Center in Boston, MA.